Carlos Gracida

Carlos Gracida ( born September 5, 1960 in Mexico City; † February 25, 2014 in Wellington, Florida) was a Mexican polo player and one of the few who achieved a handicap of 10.

Life

Carlos Gracida was the younger son of the polo player Guillermo Gracida Sen. and caught himself on the age of five years to play. At age ten he began to participate in tournaments. 1985 Gracida received the highest possible handicap of 10, he was able to maintain 15 years. He played among other things for the Ellerstina Polo Team, White Birch, Tramontana and La espadaña, one of the most successful teams of the 1980s.

1994 was a golden year for Gracida when he won almost every tournament in which he took part. In the U.S., he won the U.S. Open, in the UK the Gold Cup (also called the British Open) and in Argentina with Ellerstina the Triple Corona ( winning the Tortugas Open, Hurlingham Open and Argentine Open in one year).

Gracida was nominated five times for a total of " Player of the Year " in the USA. In addition to his brother Guillermo " Memo" Gracida Jun. and the Mexican Antonio Carlos Herrera Gracida is the only foreigner who has managed to win the Argentine Open, namely from 1987 to 1990 and 1994. 1988 he received the Olimpia de Plata, an Argentine award for athletes. The British Open has a total of ten times Gracida won, he won nine times at the U.S. Open.

Gracida held in November 2009, a handicap of 9 in Argentina and 8 in the USA.

His best-known horse was Chesney, who won several times the award as " Best Playing Pony ", including 1988, 1989 and 1991 at the Gold Cup in the UK. However, his personal favorite was Nony Nony.

Gracida had two sons, Carlos Jun. and Mariano. He lived in Wellington, Florida, where he died in a riding accident during a polo tournament at Everglades Polo Club on February 25, 2014.